Motion lamp



MOT ION LAMP Filed Aug. 25, 1934 f I @zzz/)Jeff fla/wi Patented `Furie 16, 1936 ansi 1 Claim.

My present invention relates to a motion lamp having a number of novel features.

It is the purpose of my invention to provide such a lamp, having means whereby the appearance of motion may be produced on an outer, usually cylindrical, screen, and particularly to provide means whereby the artistic eiect of the picture on the screen may be heightened.

In this connection, it is my purpose to provide part of a scene or picture on the inside of a screen, so that the outer picture may not appear crowded when the lamp is not lighted, and yet will give the appearance of depth or effect of additional parts or gures when the lamp is lighted.

It is also my purpose in this connection to provide means for giving certain color eifects on the outside regardless of the coloring on the light bulb, by providing certain coloring on the inside of the outer screen and also by providing proper coloring on a rotary screen.

Another purpose is to provide in such a lamp a combination including a bulb with substantially upright filaments for enhancing the effect of upand-down movement on the outer screen.

Still another purpose is to provide novel means for supporting a pivot jewel on a lamp bulb.

With these and other objects in view, my invention consists in the construction, arrangement and combination of the various parts of my motion lamp, whereby the objects contemplated are attained, as hereinafter more fully set forth,

pointed out in my claim, and illustrated in the y accompanying drawing, in which:

Figure l is a perspective view of the complete lamp embodying my invention.

Figure 2 is a vertical, sectional view of the same.

Figure 3 is a plan view, partly broken away of the outer face of the outer screen with a plan view partly broken away of part of the inner face of said screen at one stage in the completion thereof, and still another plan view of a part of the inner face of the screen completed.

Figure 4 is a view similar to Figure 3 illustrating another type of design on the screen.

Figure 5 is an elevation, parts being broken away, illustrating the rotary screen mounted on the bulb, having a color design thereon for use with the screen shown in Figure 4.

Figure 6 is a side elevation, partly broken away, of a vertically elongated lamp with upright laments; and

Figure 7 is a side elevation of the means for supporting the jewel on a bulb.

I shall first describe the lamp in a general Way,

so that its parts may be readily understood, and shall then refer to those features, which have to do with my present invention.

My improved lamp includes a base, indicated by the reference numeral I0, which is preferably of light weight metal, so shaped and formed as to keep down the shipping weight, and made in any suitable artistic design adapted to support a lamp, having an outer, cylindrical screen.

The base Ill has at its upper periphery an upstanding ange I I, just below which is an inwardly projecting flange or shelf I2 to support the outer screen hereinafter described. The base I0 is substantially an annular member.

Projecting inwardly from the base is an arm or the like I3, which at its inner end supports an ordinary lamp socket Ill, which is of the usual type, internally threaded, provided with contact means connected with a two wire insulated cable- I5.

I employ ordinarily a round, electric light bulb I6, of clear transparent glass. The translucent stripes may be painted on the clear bulb or the whole bulb may be painted or otherwise translucently colored, and part of the coloring may then be removed by scraping or otherwise to form the vertical clear stripes as shown.

On the bulb is mounted the jewel support I8, hereinafter more fully referred to, having projecting upwardly from the center of the top of the bulb a sharp, pointed, pin-like member I9. The pin-like member I9 forms a pivot for a jewel 2D of glass or the like, which is somewhat bellshaped, being hollow underneath, and having at its lower, outer periphery a narrow flange 2|.

Supported on the jewel 20 is a rotary screen 22 comprising a cylindrical member of transparent or translucent material, such for instance as the commercial products known as Kotapack, Cellophane, Celluloid or the like. The cylinder of the screen 22 has at the bottom, a thin sheet metal reinforcing, comprising the annular ring 23 with the in-turned flange 24 at its lower edge. This ring also provides sufficient weight to balance and center the rotary screen. At the top of the screen cylinder 22 is a cap 25, having the down-turned llange 26. The ring 23 and the flange 26 may be fastened to the material of the cylinder 22 by punching the ring and flange inwardly and by bending the material for gripping the cylinder, as illustrated at 2l in Figure 2. That is to say, the material is punched so as to force part of it inwardly. The edge of the inwardly extending material is then bent, as by a riveting operation to properly engage the screen and cylinder.

The cap 25 has the central opening 28 to receive the jewel 20 and the material of the cap around this opening rests on the flange 2 I.

The cap 25 also has a series of radial openings 29 with upwardly inclined plates 30 to form a fan, with blades to be engaged by the upwardly moving current of heated air, for thus causing the rotary screen to rotate on the pivot pin I 9.

The screen may be of transparent, semi-transparent ortranslucent material, and preferably has the diagonal stripes 3| painted or made of opaque or translucent material, which, however, is less transparent than the screen itself.

I provide an outer, cylindrical screen 32 set on the ange I2, which is also of transparent,semi transparent or translucent material. vIt may be of Cellophane, Celluloid, glass or any material adapted for the purpose. This screen willfbe'ffur.- ther referred to later in this description.

A dome-like cap 33 rests on the screen 32 and has theperipheral, doWn-turnedflange 34. It is :also :provided with the :air vents .35.

Outer Yscreen 'The outer screen'32 has a picture or scene indicated at 36. The representation of ,a scene on the screen 32 is omitted from Figure 2 to avoid confusion. -The -screen of Figures V1 and 3 has a pictureor scene 3o`1representing a forest fire. 'lhiszmaybeapplied .by means of paint, printing, lithographing orotherwise, and is preferably partially opaque .and partly translucent. This pic- -ture may .be of any subject adapted for lmotion effects.

Ihave found that a problem arises in Vconnec- :tion vwiththese translucent screens dueto the fact that when a lamp is not lighted, amore attractive scene is secured Vby not crowding the :picture too much. On the other hand when the lamp is lighted, an effect of distance or perspective -may be secured in certain ways. One of these ways is to apply-additional features of the scene or picture to the inside of the screen 32. "I'hus in Figure 3, the left-hand picture shows a part of the outer face of the screen with 'the fo-rest lire scene thereon. The middle view shows a part of the inside screen with rather rough, diagonal lines 31, painted or otherwise colored red. Ihis fhelps to give the fire effect. I find also that by further painting or otherwise coloring parts of the inside of the screen .32, as with black paint or other coloring material 39 as shown, a better background -is Vsecured when the lamp is lighted, and byadding certain, upright, dark lines or parts or figures as at 39, there is given the appearance of more trees when the lamp is lighted, and I also thus secure the effect of distance with the dim-outlines of trees-in perspective. Thus on the vinside ofthe screen 32 are some clear spaces, some red spaces and some dark spaces, in the instance referred to.

The resulting forest fire scene is made much more effective.

It will, of course, be understood that if other than the forest `fire scene were used, then the .color and arrangement of the lines 31 might be changed, and the .color and arrangement of the colored parts shown in the right-hand View of VFigure 3 might Vbe changed from those here described.

In Figure 4, I have shown three viewsV of another scene on a screen 32a similar to the screen 32. The left-hand View shows a part of the outer face Yof the screen representing ANiagara Falls. In the middle view of Figure 4, I have lshown a Yget the -most artistic results.

portion of the inside of the screen with a dark background 4U, and with dark lines 4I, for example, to enhance the appearance of falling water. In the right-hand View of Figure 4, I have shown the Falls part of the picture with other translucent coloring material, preferably green, as indicated at 42, for further giving the greenish tinge to the falling water.

I find that the use of the dark background and Vthe green coloring for the Falls vhelps to eliminate any showing of red in the Falls scene. This result is still further improved by using on the rotary screen 22a, similar to the screen 22, diagonal stripes 43, preferably of translucent character and green color.

It will, of zcourse, be understood that the additional figures 39 in the form of the device illustrated in Figure 2 must be properly located, shaded and shaped with relation to the scene shown on the outside of the screen, in order to The-same is true of the background and coloring-on-the inside of the screen .for ythe screens-of 'Figures 3 and 4, and also of the black stripesand -green coloring of the screen of'Figure 4.

Bulb

For economy of manufacture, I preferably use for all of my lamps a round bulb, colored red with clear up and down stripes, such as the bulb f illustrated in Figure -2 and also in Figure 5. With the background and green colo-ring as illustrated in Figure 4, I can continue to use the red bulb without getting much, if any red, in the nished Falls scene when the lamp Iis lighted.

It will, of course, be understood that any preferred color or combination of colors may be used on the bulb.

These bulbs-are ordinarily of the Vtype having the substantially horizontal film.

I find that I can further enhance the reffect of water falling vertically, by using a vertical, elongated bulb IBa, vsuch as that illustrated 4in Figure 6, provided with the substantially upright filament 44. With the upright filament, 'the appearance of up and down vmotion is more leasily produced.

I have found it quite a problem to properly and economically support the rotary screen 22 on the bulb and to provide a suitable bearing for the rotary screen, Aso that the upwardly moving current of air will Valways and certainly effect the rotation of that screen. The Vsupport I8 above referred to affords very excellent means for securing the desirable results. This support is made originally in the form of a broken ring of resilient wire. The ends are then forced apart until the wire takes on a somewhat spiral appearance, whereupon it can be resiliently snapped on the bulb and will hold its position.

It will, of course, be understood that the pivot I9 is added to the holder before the holder is placed on the bulb. The length and size of the resilient wire of the holder I8 depends upon the type and size of bulb with which it is to be used.

In Figure 6, VI have shown a modified form I8a of this holder made of such size and .shape as to fit an upright bulb of relative small diameter, whereas in VFigures 2 and f7, the Aholder is shown of such size and shape as to fit on a round bulb.

It will readily be seen from lthe foregoing that numerous variations may be made in the details of the structure of my improved motion lamp. Any materials suitable for the purpose may, or course, be employed. It is therefore my purpose to cover by my claims any diierent materials, changes in structure or arrangement of parts, Which may come reasonably within the scope of my invention and be distinguished from the prior art.

I claim as my invention:

In a lamp structure for giving the illusion of a forest fire, a base, a light source thereon, an inner rotary screen having markings thereon,

and an outer translucent surrounding screen, having a forest re scene on Vits outer surface, showing trees, and having on its inner surface substantially vertical dark parts, staggered With relation to the showing of trees on the outer surface, so that when the lamp is not lighted, the trees will not seem crowded in the visible scene, whereas when the lamp is lighted the dark parts will give the appearance o additional trees in the distance.

FRANK G. TOMPSETT. 

